Renovations were completed (officially) the end of December - yes, December. We were without a kitchen for approximately 1.5 months and it was rough. I knew things would be challenging but I had no idea the toll it would take on all of us. My eldest daughter was very lucky to be living in the dorms and, hence, avoided most of the drama.
First, the flooring took forever! They would lay some down, then pull it all up (something to do with the change in temperature from warehouse to home). Then, they wouldn't reinforce the under-flooring in some areas, so the new flooring would have to be pulled up again. All of the back and forth depleted the supply our Home Depot store carried of our particular flooring so, they would look to other stores in the (not so near) area. Days would go by with very little done, then they'd be there all day - seemingly laying floor they'd already laid at least three times before. It was maddening!
When the kitchen was gutted, we would rely on our microwave (now, tucked away in our office) to heat deli mark-down items purchased from our local grocery store, soup, frozen meals, etc.... More often, we would eat out. My youngest daughter, who is quite a fan of eating out, found out very quickly how tiresome it can become. By the first month's end, she would frequently say, "Mom, I just want some of your cooking, again." Indeed!
My hubby began working graveyard shifts just as the renovations began. He would sleep in the guest bedroom (formerly, our eldest daughter's bedroom) until all the knocking and banging were done. On some of his days off, we would be in there together and quickly discovered that a. the queen bed in there wasn't big enough for both of us (he's a big guy and tends to be a bed hog to boot) and b. the mattress is trash! It's incredibly soft, so the back issues appeared in force. I asked my daughter why she never told us about this. She didn't notice. I guess when you're young, a bed is a bed.
At one point, we had a crew of four (the contractor coming in every now and again); a dad, his wife and their two sons. Dad was the lead-dog, but spoke very little English. His eldest son would translate for us and was very sweet. One night, about two hours after they'd left, they came back. The son said his dad wanted to talk to me. Apparently, the contractor hadn't paid him for the week and the previous week. What?! I told the dad (via his son) that I had just given the contractor a check for the second payment. I knew that it wasn't common for the workers to talk to the homeowner and the dad seemed quite embarrassed about even addressing the issue with me, but I was livid for him. I contacted the contractor immediately to alert him to the issue. He assured me that the family would be paid. We never saw them again. We, instead, finished out the project with two sometimes three, new gentlemen.
This wasn't the only issue. We had other things happen - a ladder that was used for our crawl space "mysteriously" disappeared, pieces to our vacuum cleaner have yet to reappear, the garbage disposal sat outside in the elements for days, despite us alerting them that we would be reusing it after all (it was in great shape). The entire process lasted six weeks longer than what was provided in our bid. Thankfully, we were nearly complete by the time of our annual Christmas party so, I cautiously put our new appliances to use that very day.
While using the range, it heated but threw all kinds of error codes and noises while I cooked. Guests who were there didn't seem to notice, but I did (thank goodness for the Christmas music and all the conversation). Already incredibly anxious about having people over and using a brand new kitchen, now I had beeps and tones signaling consistently every ten seconds. Yikes! When the crew came back the next day, they didn't know what the problem was and thought about returning my brand, new appliance. We were still under warranty, so a GE tech came out and discovered grout from the backsplash had gotten wedged into the cooling fan. Ugh! I was grateful that it was an easy fix and, now, I have a wonderful range that works.
I really had high hopes for 2020 after everything 2019 put us through. As the year began, things were really wonderful. Despite coming down with a nasty case of bronchitis at the tale end of 2019, I was optimistic and excited about the good things coming. Hubby even pre-planned an early anniversary trip to Vegas, just to get things off to a positive start.
Fast forward to late February, and somehow I managed to get bronchitis again. It seemed like everyone around the station was sick with something and, because of my bronchial history, I really wasn't surprised that I was hacking and barking yet again. This time, I was too far along with the issues so, the doctor didn't prescribe any antibiotics; however, he did hook-me-up with the "good" cough syrup so that I could sleep. This all happened three days before said anniversary flight was planned. So, here I was - laying on the couch, doped up with cough syrup/nyquil/et.al, humidifier in my face and curtains drawn to try and recoup a bit before the trip.
We flew to Vegas and discovered the swank hotel we thought we had booked was anything but. So disappointed! Despite the downer, we made the most of the trip and really had a wonderful time. As part of my gift, I purchased tickets to The Blue Man Group and the Babyface concert. Awesome events the both of them! While traveling, we'd heard of certain individuals being quarantined for a new virus. One person who lived here, was trapped in Japan and her husband wasn't sure when they'd release her (they'd both been on a cruise and she tested positive at the port). We had no idea what was to come.
Both of my girls have experienced different pandemics in their teen years and both have experienced two in their lifetimes. As we all hunker down and binge watch our favorite shows/movies, praying that the toilet paper holds out and that we don't lose our sanity while kids are at home, I remain optimistic. How? How can I still be somewhat happy and still find joy when buses drive by completely empty and I'm not able to go to my favorite restaurants? Because I believe in a higher power. I believe that this higher power has never failed me. I also know that so many were worse off before this, are even worse off now and
I still have the ability to bring home a paycheck. I have my family at home to support and comfort me when I do start getting a bit down about the situation. Spring is on the horizon and with spring comes sun (and heat). I'm hopeful that the sun will do it's mighty job of burning up/drying out viruses (including the flu) and allow flowers to bloom, butterflies/bees to return and the world to renew (as it always does). I'll continue to be mindful and take care of myself and those I care about. I will be rational, but understanding and in the end, this too shall pass.
(My before, u-shaped kitchen with knotty cabinets, peninsula, range insert with two eyes only and white appliances)
(My after, expanded u-shaped kitchen with a new island, white shaker cabinets, stainless steel appliances, finally, a four-eye range)
Despite or in response to all the plans (as well as a car accident I had on August 17th), I've been doing some work on my mental state. This year, as I've mentioned previously, has been unusually challenging and I've dealt with a bit of depression because of it. A couple of weeks ago, I made a conscious decision to embrace the energy September brings (it is the month of change, after all). Happiness starts with me. I am the creator of my own destiny and I have to start "feeling the good" again. You know what? It's working. Things are going much better than they've gone for a long time. I'm not wallowing like I was and I'm living in more gratitude. It really makes a huge difference.
